Pacific City, Sunset Set-up Package

We have had wine packages to include with your stay here at The Craftsman B&B from the begening. We are changing the Pacific City Package to suit the wants of our guests. We created a Sunset package. Grab a back pack including a bottle of our Bin #50, Basket Case Syrah. Inside will be 2 keepsake wine glasses and a beach blanket. Just $20.00

Head out to the beach and watch the sunset while sipping on Syrah from Pacific City's own winery, Basket Case. Not just an Oregon Coast experience, and Pacific City experience.

If you don't finish your wine before it gets dark, no worries, you can wait for the stars to come out.

Aurora, A Relaxing Movie Night “Inn” Update

This is an update to our Aurora, A Relaxing Movie Night “Inn” package. I have mad a visit to Aurora, NY as well as Buffalo where I saw some Frank Lloyd Wright houses and we stayed at The Roycroft Inn and I visited the Roycroft Campus. I also changed the bubbles that go with this package.

I heard about this pairing and was skeptical about it. Popcorn and Champagne? That's crazy! It really is a great pairing. Aurora, A Relaxing Movie Night “Inn” adds to that pairing with another classic, popcorn and a movie. The package is just $20.00 and is a great addition to your stay at The Craftsman B&B. A bottle of our Bin #06 Cristalino Brut Cava N.V. with a bowl of fresh made popcorn. You'll be sipping in 2 Keepsake Craftsman B&B Flutes while you enjoy snuggling and watching a DVD from our collection. Most people travel with a laptop computer and they can watch a movie, but if you left it all behind for a relaxing weekend, we have DVD players for you.

Cristalino comes in a 375ml bottle, perfect for a few glasses. This wine was rated #3 in wine.com's top 100 wines on 2007. Not the #3 bubbles, the #3 wine overall.

Aurora, more exact, East Aurora, New York is the home of Roycrofters. I mentioned them in the Asheville package as they furnished the Grove Park Inn. This guild of craftsmanship and philosophy lead to the rise of the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States. Elbert Hubbard was inspired by William Morris. Morris had his own press, Kelmscott Press. Hubbard's was called the "Roycroft Press" by latter-day collectors and print historians, the organization called itself "The Roycrofters" and "The Roycroft Shops."
The name comes from the printers, Samuel and Thomas Roycroft, who made books in London from about 1650-1690. And beyond this, the word roycroft had a special significance to Elbert Hubbard, meaning King's Craft.

Hubbard edited and published two magazines, The Philistine and The Fra. The Philistine was bound in brown butcher paper and full of satire and whimsy. The Roycrofters produced handsome, if sometimes eccentric, books printed on handmade paper, and operated a fine bindery. The guild also included a furniture shop, and shops producing modeled leather and hammered copper goods. They were a leading producer of Mission Style products.

A quotation from John Ruskin formed the Roycroft "creed": "A belief in working with the head, hand and heart and mixing enough play with the work so that every task is pleasurable and makes for health and happiness".

The Roycroft Campus, a National Historic Landmark and was placed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation on its 11 Most Endangered Places. The Roycroft Campus Corporation (RCC) was established to preserve and restore the Campus. They successfully rehabilitated The Roycroft Inn. The RCC now plans to embark on a $50 million acquisition and restoration of the remainder of the campus. Its ultimate goal is to preserve the unique architectural setting of the Campus, but moreover, to bring back to life the Roycroft community and ideals by re-introducing working artisans on the campus; developing comprehensive, compelling, and multi-faceted interpretative and educational programming; and encouraging the development of a center for creativity and innovation in the decorative arts, fine arts and literature.

In 1915 Hubbard and his wife, noted suffragette Alice Moore Hubbard, died in the sinking of RMS Lusitania.

So what did I learn after my visit? We'll the buildings of the Campus are all intact and being used. The city of East Aurora has their offices and police station in 2 of the buildings. One building is now a gallery for Roycroft craftsmen. Another building is used as an antique store and furniture repair shop. The RCC really needs some money to restore this place, think about that the next time your at a silent auction and are bidding on something you don't really need or want. Send a check to the RCC.

So the strangest thing I noticed at The Roycroft Inn was all the furniture was from Stickley. Now I'm not saying Stickley is wrong, but Roycrofters made furniture and have many furniture makers currently in the guild. I think as time went by, the Roycroft pieces were sold off and when they opened the Inn, they needed a commercially made line to fill all the rooms. Travel tip: Stay on the top floor at The Roycroft Inn, squeaky floors everywhere.

Drinks anyone?

Part of the ongoing Oregon Bounty, there is now an "Unofficial Official Oregon Cocktail." This years selection was announced at the Oregon Bounty kick-off event in Portland. After pouring over nearly 200 recipes, two rounds of judging, seven regional finalists were selected. The recipes are a creative and enticing collection of cocktails using Oregon’s artisan distilled spirits and ingredients from throughout the state. The judges selected Hike, Fish & Go Camping Punch by Cheryl Meloy of Portland. This drink includes huckleberry syrup, Terminal Gravity IPA, Pendleton whisky and more.

Here is the recipe:
Hike, Fish & Go Camping Punch
Eastern Oregon
Cheryl Meloy, Portland

Serves 4
5 oz Pendleton Whisky (this is a Canadian Whiskey named after the Pendleton Round up)

4 oz (1/3 of 12 oz can) frozen lemonade
4 oz (1/3 of 12 oz can) frozen limeade
4 oz huckleberry syrup
2 bottles Terminal Gravity IPA
Mint sprigs for garnish

Mix together the first four ingredients in large pitcher. Slowly stir in both bottles of beer. Pour punch into a tall, ice-filled glass. Top with mint sprig and serve.

To make huckleberry syrup: Heat to a slow boil 2 cups berries (fresh or frozen; you can substitute blueberries for huckleberries) with 1 cup sugar and 2 cups water. Slow boil for 20 -30 minutes, cool slightly and strain mixture through fine mesh sieve. Work the mash to get all the fluid through the sieve before discarding the skins. You may also cool syrup and store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

“This is an easy, fun loving punch. With a warm whisky, flavorful micro brew, and a handful of wild berries, it’s a real Eastern Oregon concoction. A new twist on the youthful Hop, Skip & Go Naked and classic Whisky sour, this recipe crosses the generational gap and quenches the thirst of all revelers seeking a taste of Eastern Oregon’s high country.”

For all the finalists recipes, click here.

Part of the Bounty celebration this year was an Oregon Distiller's Guild Spirits Tasting.  The event featured a general tasting of the artisan spirits from members of the Oregon Distillers Guild, each distiller provided samples of up to two of their products. In addition, the Oregon Distillers Guild bar featured traditional and creative cocktails that incorporate Oregon spirits.

Here are some more eat and drink events happening around the state during Oregon Bounty.  We have our Oregon Bounty wine package too.  You can also order a bottle during your stay from our wine list.

My favorite beverage, let's see, I would have to say it's Pacific City water out of a hose in the back yard of The Craftsman B&B.  Just don't splash any on my feet.

Booze for Boobs!

I know, Booze for Boobs, but read on.  I wrote about breast cancer awareness here.  I just wanted to remind you that tomorrow, Friday is the big party at Twist Wine Company.  From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Twist will donate 100% of their proceeds to the breast cancer fund.

Twist will be pouring the wines from Basket Case, Shy Wines and Reversal.  Several beers will be on tap as well.  Live music, disco ball and the "pole" at the end of the bar will keep the mood festive.  Pick out some vintage vinyl to spin before the live music starts.

You can find Twist just west of the 4-way stop in Pacific City.  6425 Pacific Avenue, Unit B.  2 blocks from my home at The Craftsman B&B.  Call them with questions at 503-965-NUTS.

We hope to see you there, but if you can't make it, Twist is donating 10% of sales for the whole month of October to Breast Cancer.

Come see me at the party, I'll be the blue dog with the pink shirt.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  All over the country there are events planned to raise awareness.

So here is a little history, in 1985 AstraZeneca, which manufactures breast cancer drugs, founded the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The aim of the NBCAM from the start has been to promote mammography as the most effective weapon in the fight against breast cancer.  Most of you have seen the pink ribbons.  That all started in 1991 when the Susan G. Komen Foundation had handed out pink ribbons to participants in its New York City race for breast cancer survivors.

It really took off to a nation wide symbol for awareness when Evelyn Lauder, Senior Corporate Vice President of the Estée Lauder founded The Breast Cancer Research Foundation in 1993 and established the Pink Ribbon as its symbol.  Companies of all sizes have created pink versions of a lot of products.  If you are looking to do some shopping, I suggest you shop pink.

The Race for the Cure is now very popular, celebrating it's 25th year and takes place in cities all over the world.   Chenin, my neighbor and part time dog sitter, has participated in that for years and she even dies her hair pink in October. She and her husband Sean, have decided to bring the pink to Pacific City. Twist, their tasting room for Basket Case, Shy Wines and Reversal will be donating 10% of their total sales in October to breast cancer.

But for 4 hours on Friday, October 17, from 5 - 9 p.m., Twist will be having a pink party.  They will donate 100% of sales to the cause.  During the event, sultry sounds of Scott Siegel strumming his guitar will fill the room.  They will pour their wine and selected brews for your libation.  I'll just have a bowl of water and a few crackers.  If you have any questions, call Twist at 503-965-NUTS.

So come on down for the party, mingle with the locals and visitors to the Oregon Coast.  You can stay with me at The Craftsman B&B, we are walking distance to Twist.  Even if you don't wish to drink wine, you have to see the blazing pink display Chenin put in the window.   It's a head turner for sure.

If you can't make it to Twist, you can see Chenin at the Portland Farmers Market on Saturdays.

To find a place to get an exam near you, click here.

Now, I don't think I have any pink to wear to the party. . .

Number 1 on Trip Advisor

As a spoiled innkeepers dog, I do have some responsibilities around here.  I meet and greet all the guests.  I make sure they pass the scent test and show them to their rooms.  I am always at the door to welcome them back after their day out or returning from dinner.  I am also blogging about my life here at The Craftsman B&B and what there is to see and do around Pacific City.  Another thing I do is make sure our guests have had a great stay.  I log on to TripAdvisor.com, bedandbreakfast.com and bnbfinder.com to read reviews our guests have written to tell potential guest about their stay.

So today, I log on and find that we have become the number 1 B&B in Pacific City!  See for yourself here.  This is huge, we are the newest B&B in town and of course, we have always thought we were doing a good job.  It's simple really, we treat guest just as we would like to be treated when traveling.  Mike and Laura have stayed at 5 star hotels and other B&B's to gauge their service and accommodations.  They have taken what they liked and applied it to running the B&B.  They also make sure not to do things they have seen and didn't like.  You don't have to spend a bag full of money to get great service.  If you do spend that much, you should expect great, outstanding service.  When you don't, you may not be a happy guest.  The value isn't there.  Maybe the rate is higher for another reason.  Hotels will raise rates for events in town.  Other places add a list of packages for more profit, our packages save you money based on if you purchased the items separately.  It's about providing what guests want, not the till at the end of the day.

We know what most of our guests want.  How is that?  We ask.  We meet them and talk to them.  We learn from them.  We recommend restaurants to them based on what we think they will like.  We recommend sites to see based on what they have already seen and liked.  We visit the sites, hikes, restaurants.  When they return, we talk to them some more, ask what they thought, we learn.

So if you come and visit, are we going to talk your ear off?  No, you are here to relax, we are here to make sure you do.  We will ensure you have a great stay.

So number one,  yeah, we're excited.  We are going to do our very best to keep it that way.  Come discover the Oregon Coast to visit me and find out for yourself.  We are sure you will love our little town and your stay with us.  If you have stayed with us in the past and written a review online, we thank you.  If you haven't, we would love for you to share your experience.  Don't forget to say what a great dog I am.  Do they make those giant foam fingers for dogs?

Pacific City, Picnic Lunch

The last package we offer at The Craftsman B&B is our Pacific City, Picnic Lunch.  If you are staying 2 nights with us, for your grand day out we will pack up a picnic backpack filled with goodies.  We don't always make the a lunch the same, but to get an idea, we make 2 wraps, turkey and ham, a pasta or potato salad, water, cookies and the perfect item to pair with a bottle of our Bin #50, Basket Case Syrah, Fritos!  A perfect lunch for 2 for $30.00.  If you are here just one night, we include a mini insulated cooler for your feast.

Why do we like Basket Case wines?  Apart from the winemakers live across the street, this is a great everyday drinking wine.  Employing a screw cap, this is perfect for the beach or trail.  Open it up, pour it out, close the bottle and enjoy, until your next stop when you can do it all over again.  This wine is made for the crazy in all of us.

So syrah, not an Oregon grape you say.  Well its not where you are, its what you can get.  Even though Basket Case is an Oregon winery, they source the fruit form where it grows best, Washington.  The colder winters and hotter summers yield perfect growing conditions, known as terroir, for this jammy grape.  Advantage, boutique winery!  Not stuck with the fruit they grow like estate wineries, they purchase fruit from where they choose and bring it back to their facility and make the wine they want to.

Syrah is a grape that originated in the northern Rhône Valley of France.  It is used in another of our favorite wines, Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  We can't figure out what we like best, saying it or drinking it.  Anyway,  Syrah came to America in the 1970s, where it was planted by a group of "Rhône rangers."  The vines made their way North to Washington in 1985.  Aussie's, Oy,Oy,Oy, as they say, call it by a different name.  Anybody?  Shiraz, today it is Australia's most popular red grape.

OK, why is Pacific City included with all those other great cities, towns and villages in the work with significant Arts and Crafts architecture?  Well, it has gone through a kind of revival after the fine restoration of The Craftsman B&B.  As one of the oldest houses in the area and built in the time the movement was going strong, it has been a great example to the local builders and designers.  Most of the new construction in the area are Craftsman style houses.  Yes, we do have our share of beach cottages, grand houses and salt boxes, incorporating the ideals of Maybeck and New England shingle style.  We'd like to take the credit.  We have shown how to highlight the details of a house.  Before we restored our house, it was covered in peach and green aluminum siding.  All the trim was brown.  The details were there, they just needed to be shown off.  We stripped the siding to find cedar shingles.  They were removed and we started over.  The main part of the house is covered in lap siding.  All the bump out parts of the house are in shingles.  It is painted in historic, period colors; Gray-green for the body, dark green for the trim, white windows and red accents.  Wow, it only took a few months for other buildings in the area to follow our lead.  We even have had people up on the front porch with paint chips to match.  Mike will give you the paint codes, but asks that if they live in the area, he will help them choose different colors.  Mike is a color expert.

So come visit me.  See our Craftsman style house for yourself.  Walk around the town and you will see, the style is just about everywhere now.  The real estate market is ripe now, but it is cheaper for you to stay with us at The Craftsman B&B.  Don't forget to stop by Twist and taste all the wines from Basket Case and their sister labels; Shy Chenin and Reversal.

Aurora, A Relaxing Movie Night “Inn”

The last package I talked about was about a classic pairing of wine and chocolate.  The next package I'm going to write about is a pairing most people don't even know about.  Mike heard about this pairing and was skeptical about it.  Popcorn and Champagne?  That's crazy!  It really is a great pairing.  Aurora, A Relaxing Movie Night “Inn” adds to that pairing with another classic, popcorn and a movie.  The package is just $20.00 and is a great addition to your stay at The Craftsman B&B.  A bottle of our Bin #03 Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut with a bowl of fresh made popcorn.  You'll be sipping in 2 Keepsake Craftsman B&B Flutes while you enjoy snuggling and watching a DVD from our collection.  Most people travel with a laptop computer and they can watch a movie, but if you left it all behind for a relaxing weekend, we have DVD players for you.

I wrote about Freixenet Cava in the Taliesin entry to the blog, read more about it there.  We like it so much we have offered it in several packages.  It's good, available all over and well priced bottle aged bubble.  Did I mention matte black?  Mmmmm!

Aurora, more exact, East Aurora, New York is the home of Roycrofters.  I mentioned them in the Asheville package as they furnished the Grove Park Inn.  This guild of craftsmanship and philosophy lead to the rise of the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States.  Elbert Hubbard was inspired by William Morris.  Morris had his own press, Kelmscott Press. Hubbard's was called the "Roycroft Press" by latter-day collectors and print historians, the organization called itself "The Roycrofters" and "The Roycroft Shops."
The name comes from the printers, Samuel and Thomas Roycroft, who made books in London from about 1650-1690. And beyond this, the word roycroft had a special significance to Elbert Hubbard, meaning King's Craft. 

Hubbard edited and published two magazines, The Philistine and The Fra. The Philistine was bound in brown butcher paper and full of satire and whimsy.  The Roycrofters produced handsome, if sometimes eccentric, books printed on handmade paper, and operated a fine bindery.  The guild also included a furniture shop, and shops producing modeled leather and hammered copper goods. They were a leading producer of Mission Style products.

A quotation from John Ruskin formed the Roycroft "creed":  "A belief in working with the head, hand and heart and mixing enough play with the work so that every task is pleasurable and makes for health and happiness".

The Roycroft Campus, a National Historic Landmark and was placed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation on its 11 Most Endangered Places. The Roycroft Campus Corporation (RCC) was established to preserve and restore the Campus.  They successfully rehabilitated The Roycroft Inn. The RCC now plans to embark on a $50 million acquisition and restoration of the remainder of the campus. Its ultimate goal is to preserve the unique architectural setting of the Campus, but moreover, to bring back to life the Roycroft community and ideals by re-introducing working artisans on the campus; developing comprehensive, compelling, and multi-faceted interpretative and educational programming; and encouraging the development of a center for creativity and innovation in the decorative arts, fine arts and literature.

In 1915 Hubbard and his wife, noted suffragette Alice Moore Hubbard, died in the sinking of RMS Lusitania.

Taliesin, A Great Birthday Package

The last of the sparkling wine packages is: Taliesin, A Great Birthday Package.  We provide a bottle of our Bin #03 Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut, 2 Keepsake Craftsman B&B flutes and a box of Harry & David Truffles for just $25.00.  That's cheap, I mean inexpensive.  Freixenet is a Spanish bubble so do you remember what that is called?  Cava, baby!  It comes in a bottle that is Mike's favorite color, matte black.  Here is a picture of Mike on his matte black Ducati Monster.

So what or where is Taliesin?  Taliesin was the summer home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright in Spring Green, Wisconsin and is a National Historical Monument.  He moved there after leaving Oak Park and his first wife for the wife of a client.  A great architect, not a great husband.  The area was originally settled by his mothers family, Welsh immigrants and Taliesin, a name of a Welsh bard, means "shining brow" and he positioned the home on a favorite brow of his childhood.  Wright experimented with Organic architecture by using local stone to mimic sandbars in a river.  Wright and his mistress moved into the house in 1911.

This is where the story of Taliesin gets a little dark.  While Wright was away in Chicago working on the Midway Gardens, one of his staff set fire to the living quarters and murdered seven people with an axe.  The dead included Wright's mistress and her two children.  The murderer died in jail weeks later.

Wright rebuilt the living quarters and renamed it Taliesin II.  Again, another fire.  This one caused by a telephone line that may have been struck by lightning during a storm.  It was rebuilt as Taliesin III.  Wright continued living at the house and acquiring land to grow the estate to nearly 600 acres.  He was always making changes to the house and used his students/ apprentices in his fellowship and other invited artists to do the work.

Taliesin West was the winter home and school for Frank Lloyd Wright and another National Historic Monument.  It was built entirely by students of The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, which still hold classes here.  Mike visited the site a long time ago while in Arizona visiting his grandparents.  Located in what used to be in the middle of nowhere, Scottsdale AZ.  The building is made entirely of stone found on the site.  The canvas roofs provide natural light to the building.  Low linear roof lines provide the buildings to blend in to the natural landscape.  Wright designs morphed from linear prairie school style to more futuristic in the Gammage Auditorium at ASU Tempe, one of Wright's last public commissions.  Wright lost the plans originally for a opera house in Baghdad, Iraq to Grady Gammage, president of ASU in a card game.  Another out of this world design is the Marin County Civic Center.

In 1940, Wright along with his third wife formed the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.  After his death in 1959, the Foundation took over Taliesin and Taliesin West.

OK, that was a lot of history to describe a wine package, but you can see how much thought we at The Craftsman B&B put into a name.  Just think how much thought we have put in to making your stay relaxing and enjoyable.  I am here to make your visit to Pacific City a historic one, oh and the innkeeper does his share too.

Glasgow, A Grand Honeymoon or Anniversary Package

Our next package I want to tell you about is called: Glasgow, A Grand Honeymoon or Anniversary Package.  This is another sparkling package, 2 187 ml bottles, that's 1 glass, of our Bin #07, Mumm Napa Brut Prestige.  We like to call them “Pocket Rockets”.  Perfect for hiking, golfing or lounging around The Craftsman Bed and Breakfast.  We also throw in 2 Keepsake Craftsman B&B flutes and a box of Harry & David Truffles, for  $35.00.  What a deal for Mumm Napa Sparkling wine.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Glasgow go together like haggis and oatmeal.  We are big fans of him and his works and collaborations with his wife Margaret MacDonald.  They were part of a group that developed the Glasgow School, more Art Neuveau, that influenced the Arts and Crafts movement.  Margret was a painter and glass artist.  She was known for her large gesso paintings.  The group, in 1896 were invited to exhibit at the London Arts and Crafts Society Exhibition.  The Glasgow School of Art is regarded as Mackintosh's architectural masterpiece, perhaps one of the most influential buildings ever constructed in Great Britain.  Our Mackintosh room is based on another significant design, The Hill House.

Glasgow is known for it's ship building and during the industrial revolution the Japanese engineers and navy influenced the design in the area as is was more accessible than before and gained in popularity. The design focused on the quality of the space, which was meant to evoke a calming and organic feeling to the interior.  Hey that sounds like my home.

Another significant Glasgow project of Mackintosh was the Queen's Cross Church.  Said to be his most mysterious building.  It has fantastic stained glass, barrel vaulted ceilings and the color of the mill work with the white walls is like no other church.  We can not talk about art in Glasgow and not include the Willow Tea Room.  The interior design is a classic example of how good design never goes out of style.

All these great examples of my favorite style make me want to book a trip.  What is the quarantine policy for dogs visiting Scotland?  Should I have Mike pack his golf clubs?